Method of making glass fibers



Dec. 7, 1948, G. sLAYTER METHOD OF MAKING GLASS FIBERS Original Filed April 15, 1944 F1 Er. E..

were D .1f s

mamon or MAKING Grass :maints (losas Slayter` ,'Alilewark.` Olii ,assigne toOwens- Fiberglas Corporation, a lcorporation minimieren lltA cation April 15, 1944.' Serl'al No.

1 ct. serai No, erases.

i l l r l o u This invention relates to an improved method v for meltingglass and forming fibers therefrom.

This -application is a division ot my copending application. Serial No. 531,219, med, April l5, 194.4. One generally. accepted practice of melting glass is to provide a larsocapacitytank divided into a melting chamberand-a reilning` chamber by a. partition orl bridgewall aperturedto enable` molten glass to flow from thev melting chamber to thee-ending as molten glass is .witndrawn from the renning chamber. g1ass batch is addedto the melting chamber so that the process ofmeltingandreiiningthegiassismoueorless continuous.

The foregoing practice relies principally upon lapplication June 5.

- and heet the particles while tous suspended to "nested no-melted boton in e 'thin mm to essere ready egress` of gas from the molten material. o

the force of emits to sepoutethe en bubbles from the body of molten glass and upon diifusion to obtain uniformity and ty of the molten glass. vSlncethe viscityofimolten glass is relatively high, it follows'that the rening process is accomplishedat a very slow rate. In fact.

the rate'of refining the glass is so slow in most' cases that considerable quantities of glass must be maintained in a molten state for long periods of time in order to insure an ample supply of refined glassfor even a small continuous requiremen-t. This. of course, is objectionable, not only because o f the lar 'e storage capacity required for` the-refined glass. t also because of the high heat losses resulting from maintaining the gl/ass continually in a molten state well above the devitriileation point;

An improved glass melting technique includes e rapidly melting and mixing minutely divided 4glass batch materials. renning the material and quickly removingit forJ fabrication while in a molten,

state and while it still retains a treat amount of the melting heat.- This process, it will be noted, makes unnecessary the maintenance lof a large body of glass which mustbe held at a high temperature until used. The temperature required for melting the batch is relatively higher than that needed to maintain the glass in a molten state'and itfollows'that where it is-possible to employ the glass immediately the advantage of the melting' heat even though somewhat reduced may be realised and no additional-heat will be reilllei Withv the above in view 'it is the primary obiect of the present 'invention to provide a "glass melter into which dry batch materials may be continuously fed and substantially instantaneously re\ duced to a molten and refined state. g

It is a further object ofthe invention to sus. pend the particles oflbatch in a gaseous medium ext the betontnerebyf facilitating the transfer v heat to the batch, and then collecting the f Another Aobject of this invention is to maintain apositive pressure within the melter during the melting operation and todischarge the molten glass through a restricted oriilce inthe vmelter under .the innuenoe of ahigh velocity ("sting-ou or the .products of combustion escaping through the oriilce. As a result, the molten glass is discharged in a continuous stream from the melter as soon as the batch reaches a fluid state.

Still another object of .this invention is toptovide a melter wherein the glass batch is infroduced into the melter through the top-of the latterandwhereinprovisionismadetomaintain a pressure on the incoming batch. which is at least as great as the pressure within the melter so that escape ofthe products of combustion upwardly through the batch is prevented.

A further object of this invention is .to provide a melter in the form of a refractory lined hollow body having means for producing a swirling llame in the body and also having means for directing the incoming batch into the flame. The con'-44 struction is auch that the nnely divided particles of the glass batch are rapidly brought up to melt. ing temperature in the swirling fiameand are deposited on the heated wall of the melter where they combine with other` particles in a molten state to form a iiuid mixture of glass.

A still further feature of this invention is' to Provide a melter'of the above character wherein the molten glass collects on the side of the melter and flows downwardly over the heated refractory lining into the high velocity stream of the prodbine and mix with other streams lowing down the wall which' reacts to cause a rening of the glass by liberating such gases as are formed or entrapped during the melting.

The refractory materials from whichx furnace wall blocks -are made are subject to chemical attack and erosion by the glass particularly in the melting zone where an extremely high degree of heat is employed. An important advantage of the presenttype melter lies inthe fact that the type of construction is substantially less expensive to manufacture r replace .than the usual glass melting furnace.

Still another object of this invention is to employ the high velocity stream of the products of combustion escaping through the discharge orifice for the purpose of blowing the molten glass issuing from the orice to form glass wool. In this application of the invention it is desirable to insure maintaining the glass issuing from the discharge orifice in the stream of the products of combustion escaping through the orifice, and it is a further object of the invention to accomplish this result by surrounding the molten glass with atmosphere under suillcient pressure to counteract any tendency for the blast to spread or deflect the molten glass out of the stream as it leaves the discharge orifice.

A further applicationof the present melter may include the use of a trough disposed beneath the discharge orifice to receive glass flowing therefrom and convey it in a continuous stream to suitable fiber forming apparatus. Heat from the sting-out maintains the glass in a owable condition.

The foregoing, as well as other objects, will be made more apparent as this description proceeds, especially when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a semi-diagrammatic side elevational view partly in section of an improved glass melting furnace embodying the present invention; and

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on the plane indicated by the line 2-2 of Figure -1.

lIn general, the present invention embodies principles adapted for rapidly converting premixed glass batch materials, cullet or the like to molten glass. An increased rate of melting and refining may be obtained by introducingl the, batch continuously into a heated chamber in relatively small amounts which readily combine to produce a complete glass composition. The molten glass issuing from the melter is free of stones or particles of unmelted batch and is in a substantially refined condition. This condition is obtained by the manner in which the melting of the batch takes place.

The melting chamber is of vertically disposed cylindrical shape and is preferably lined with refractory material or a metal which is non-reactive to the glass batch as will be described in detail presently. Oil, gas or other fuel in the form of premixed fuel and air is introduced tangentially to the axis into the top of the chamber, either from one or opposite sides thereof.

The melter forms the combustion chamber forthe gas mixture which expands upon contact with the heated walls with considerable turbulence and thereby develops a high velocity. This velocity is greatly increased by the reduced size of the discharge orice at the bottom of the melter which results in the building up of pressure therein. The ow of the products of combustion is generally in a spiral or cyclonic manner along the chamber Wall and when batch is introduced into or near the vortex formed by the flames it is thrown with great force onto the wall.

The temperature within the chamber is sufciently high to substantially instantaneously melt the fine batch which moves by gravity and the influence of the flame down the chamber wall; The glass forms a thin coating on the Well Just below the burner openings near the top of the chamber and is in a fluid state so that it :flows readily along the wall. The adhesion of the glass to the wall retards lthe movement of the portion of the glass film in contact therewith so that there is relative movement between the inner and outer surfaces of the film.

The volume of glass discharged from the melter is governed in part by the rate at which batch is fed thereto and which in turn is limited to the rate at which the batch can be reduced to a molten state. A

The surface of the glass exposed to the flame has a slightly higher temperature and is more fluid than the glass nearer the wall. This slipping of the glass becomes a mixing or stirring action by means of which seedsgor gas bubbles formed by the melting batch are liberated and increases in magnitude as the volume of glass increases. The continued flow of glass down the chamber Wall provides additional planing or iining action and as the volume of glass increases due to the gradual lowering of temperature, the entire body becomes a relatively homogeneous mass. The degree of homogeneity obtained is a result of inertness of the wall material to the type of glass batch employed. The molten glass tends to wash out the refractory and chemically' acquire properties from the wall. This, of course, does not occur where a metallic lining such as, for instance, platinum is used and a relatively higher degree of homogeneity is realized.

One form orf apparatus by which the present invention may be accomplished is illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawings wherein I have shown a vertically arranged cylindrical glass melter 9 comprising a sheet metal casing Il. The casing is lined with a refractory material II to form a chamber I2 therein and has an inverted frusto conical section I3 at the bottom provided with a restricted discharge opening I4. The melter may be mounted on a suitable frame or supporting structure S. The top of the chamber I2 is closed by a slab I5 of refractory material, shown in Figure 2 of the drawing. and formed with dia- .metrically opposed recesses or pockets I6 for receiving suitable gas burners I1. The burners I1 are directed tangentially of the chamber and cooperate with one another to produce a swirling or cyclonic flame in the chamber, the exhaust gases exiting through the opening Il. The fuel supplied to the burners may be an air-gas mixture previously mixed and fed to the burners under a low pressure. The fuel is ignited within the chamber I2 which serves as a combustion chamber for the burners so that a high degree of heat is developed for melting the batch. The burning gases expand within the chamber and produce a high velocity sting-out flame which may be employed directly to form iibers from the molten glass produced by the melter or for heating a conditioning chamber for the glass.

However, for the purpose of illustration, the glass batch is shown in Figure 1 of the drawing as fed into the chamber I2 through a chute I8 coaxially arranged with respect to the chamber and communicating at a point above the che mber with a hopper I9 containing a vertical column of the batch. The batch. is transferred from the hopper I9 to the chute I8 through a tubular casing having a feed screw 20 suitably rotatably supported therein and driven by an electric motor 2 I.

As the glass batch is discharged into the chamber I2 from the lower end of the chute I8. the

.muy um prunes by the swirling llame and reduced to a moltenilowing through the orifice Il.

are immediately implnged state 'in' whichcondition they are deposited on the wall of the chamber by the centrifugal force created in the llame.v The foregoing is accomplished by providing a distributor 22 supported at the discharge end of the chute-I8 inaxial align- -ment with the latter and having a conical surface 'for uniformly spreading the particles oi' the batch outwardly into the swirling flame.4 The distributor 22 isormed with a jacket 22 communicating with a pair of tubes 2l which .extend upwardly through the chute I'l to a suitable source (not shown) of coolant. As a result, coolant is circulated through the distributor 22 during operaby the heat generated in the melter is avoided.

The above consu'nciion is such that glass melted on the side walls of the chamber and ows'downr attacca through the chute I2. In the above is accomplished'by providing a pressure in the' chute above the 'batch supplied to the chute by the feed screw2| which is at least as great as the pressure within the chamber I2. In detail, the

4 fuel supply conduit 22 for the burners I'I comand 2i may be,^respectively. incorporated in the v conduits 28 and 2l impositions to 'enable indetion of the melter and damaging of the distributor A in the chamber I2 by the swirling flame collects wardiyalongthewailstothedischarge orifice I4.

at thebottom of the chamber. As stated above. the inner surfaces of the chamber walls are formed oi' a refractory material and are. of course, maintained at a high temperature by the llame so that the glass is refined in the manner previously disclosed as it ilows to the discharge oriilce Il.

It will also be' observed from the foregoing that the products oi' combustion escape from the interior o! the chamber I2 through the same orifice I4 employed to remove the molten glass from the chamber. This orifice Il is restricted to such an extent that a positive pressure is maintained in the chamber and. as a result, the products of combustion escape` through the orice II at a relatively high velocity. The above feature is ad'- vantageous because it materially accelerates removal of molten glass from the chamber and the v escaping gases are employed for forming the glass into bers.

In Figure 1 of the drawings, however. the blast or high velocity stream of the products of combustion is employed to attenuate the molten glass escaping through the oriiice and form glass wool. One diiiiculty encountered in forming glass fibers directly from molten glass issuing from the orince Il is to maintain the glass within the eilective region oi' the blast -of the products of combustion escaping .through the same orifice. The molten glass has a tendency to spread outwardly away from the blast at the discharge side of the orifice since the glass completely surrounds the blast in substantially 'tube-like form. This tendency may be overcome by producing suillcient pressure around the glass, as it issues from the :orice il, to maintain the molten glass in eifective intimate contact with the blast. One means oi' accom.

plishing the above results is to arrange a plurality of axially aligned relatively short tubes 26 at the discharge side of the oriilce in concentric relation to the blast of the products of combustion The tubes suc cessively increase in diameter in the direction of the flow of the products of combustion and cooperate to form annular spaces 2l through which air ilows in the directions. shown in response to the passage of the products of combustion through the tubos 2i. 'I'his ilow of air creates sufficient pressure around the blast to concentrate the molten glass in the blast and thereby facilitates attenuation of the molten glass into iibers.

It will be understood from the foregoing that some arrangement must be made to prevent the escape of the products of combustion upwardly pendently varying vthgyfuel pressure sul plied to'the chute andehamber I2. 'I 'he escape ofproducts of combustion throughthe batch in the feeding screw casingl is prevented by the height ofthe' column of the batch maintained I in the hopper Il. Inctherfgwordsgthe height and weight of the column lof inthe hopper is predetermined to seal the feeding'mechanism against escape of 'the products of combustion.

fromthe chamber I2.

Modmcstiensmsybe resorted to within the I spirit of ,the invention andthe scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

l. The method of producing glass wool which Vconsists in continuously melting glass batch materials under pressure in a swirling llame within aeonilned area. collecting 'the melted glass in the fonn of a hollow-stream, andilberizing the molten glass by flowing it through a restricted path around the high velocity stream 'of the productsof combustion escaping from the coniined path. v

2. The method of producing glass wool which consists in melting glass batch materials under pressure in a substantially cylindrical conned melting zone'having-a restricted discharge path deiining the lower end of said zone and leading therefrom, bringing the rbatch into contact with a swirling llame in the upper end of the conined zone to reduce-it toa molten state, flowing the molten glass around the highl velocity fstream'of the products of combustion escaping said zone through the discharge path to fiberize. the molten glass issuing from the path, and inducing an in- A a substantially; closed melting zone having a re- 1 f y stricted discharge patliat the bottomthrough: Y

which-"the products of vcombustion escape at a high velocity, continuously feedingglass batch materials in fine particles into. the upper end of the zone and directing the batch into the swirl'- ing llame to melt the batch, collecting the=melted glass along the periphery of the zone, flowing the molten glass around the high velocity-stream of the products of combustionv escaping the zone through the dischargeA path to iiberize the molten glass issuing from said path, and maintaining a iluid pressure on the incoming batch at least as great as the pressure built up in the melting zone by the products of combustion. v

4. 'I'he method of producing glass fibers which consists in continuously feeding glass batch materials under pressure into aconiined'melting zone having a restricted discharge path leading 7 therefrom, bringing the batch into contact with a swirling plane in the confined zone to melt the batch, flowing the melted glass along the periphery of the zone toward said discharge path in the form of a cylindrical stream. and engaging the stream from the inside with the high velocity products of combustion of said flame as it ows from the discharge path to form said glass into fibers.

5. The method of producing glass bers which consists in continuously feeding granular glass batch materials under pressure into a confined melting zone having a restricted discharge path leading therefrom, melting the batch to form al stream thereof by bringing the granules into contact with a swirling spirally directed flame moving in the direction of the restricted path, collecting the melted glass in the form of a tubular `stream, flowing said stream through said restricted path, and simultaneously engaging the stream along its inner surface with the blast of the products of combustion of said flame to form said glass into fibers.

6. The method of producing glass fibers which consists in providinga high velocity swirling flame in a. confined melting zone having a restricted discharge path therein, feeding batch 20 Number materials under pressure into the vortex of said Y GAMES SLAYTER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Parkison Jan. 3, 1905 Drill July 11, 1939 

